


High Off the Ground

by CraftItIntoPieces



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Peter Parker, Brief Mention of Suicide, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, My First Fanfic, Nothing major though, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Protective Tony Stark, Recreational Drug Use, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, not too much angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 10:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17323454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraftItIntoPieces/pseuds/CraftItIntoPieces
Summary: ‘Forgive me if I’m wrong but that kid-genius school has clearly cheated you of your education. If I recall correctly most kids learn to tell the time at about six years old but here we have a living, breathing example of a teenager who apparently never learned. Curfew’s meant to be at midnight Pete. Why is Friday telling me you’re patrolling at 04:27 am?’ORAll Peter wanted to do was get stoned on top of a Skyscraper in the middle of the night. Being Spider-man had to come with perks, right? Tony has other ideas.





	High Off the Ground

**Author's Note:**

> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Baby's first fanfic!

_Thwip,_

_Thwip,_

_Thwip,_

_Thwip._

Peter tried to maintain an even rhythm, releasing his web-shooters consistently as he navigated his way around the tops of high-rises. It was a challenge to match the beat that he’d asked Karen to play in his mask, but he liked the satisfaction of swinging in time to his music. That was a smaller thing he’d noticed ever since he had been bitten: music felt fuller. Listening to past favourite songs, it was like he suddenly understood their construction. He could hear every layer of production separately from each other, and how they came together to create the wholeness of the song.

He loved it.

He loved _this_.

       Swinging through New York in the early hours of the morning, moving forward to the time signature of his music was when Peter felt most like Spider-man. That was until a flock of stubborn pigeons refused to divert their path and flew straight into him, mid-swing. When falling through New York in the early hours of the morning, scrambling in the air while momentum flipped him around, he felt decidedly like Peter Parker. However, it didn’t take him more than a second to extend another web-shooter and swing onto the roof of the skyscraper he was falling beside.

Standing at the edge of the roof, he peered down at the side-walk below.

‘I hope the birds are okay.’

‘They’re absolutely not,’ replied Karen in his ear.

       Peter screwed up his face a bit, turned away from the edge and plopped himself down for a rest. The noise from the city sounded more like an echo reverberating off the buildings and the stars were barely visible due to light pollution, giving Peter the impression that the city was enclosed in a massive glass dome. Strangely, this thought made Peter peaceful. He desperately wished he could pack New York and the people he loved that lived there into an impenetrable dome. That would surely vanquish their fear of alien attacks and his along with it.

       Peter let out a tired sigh and took out the joint and lighter he had kept tucked in the waist band of his suit. He rolled up his mask to reveal his mouth and quickly lit the joint, taking a short drag to ensure he didn’t immediately start coughing. He didn’t smoke all that much (if he was honest his schedule didn’t allow much down time) so after a few hits he already felt light-headed and warm. It was nice for Peter to sit and experience being Spider-man this way. He could shed the responsibility of fighting and saving and studying for a few hours and have an utterly human experience. He felt lucky to be able to smoke so high off the ground, so close to the sky and so far away from anyone else. Then his mask started beeping.

‘Peter, you have an incoming call from Tony Stark,’ notified Karen.

_Of course._

Before Peter had the chance to so much as say hello, Tony started to monologue:

‘Forgive me if I’m wrong but that kid-genius school has clearly cheated you of your education. If I recall correctly most kids learn to tell the time at about six years old but here we have a living, breathing example of a teenager who apparently never learned. Curfew’s meant to be at midnight Pete. Why is Friday telling me you’re patrolling at 04:27 am?’

      The Taddle-Tale protocol that had been set up between Karen and Friday had saved Peter’s skin on more than one occasion, but Peter swore it did more harm than good.

‘Uh hi Mr. Stark,’ Peter replied dopily, scrunching his brow and trying very hard to focus on what Tony had just said.

‘Where’s the fire kid? Was there an emergency?’

‘No emergency! I’m not actually patrolling. I’m taking the night-off.’

Peter tried to explain himself as clearly as possible, desperately avoiding going off on a tangent and revealing to his mentor that he was actually pretty stoned.

‘and your wearing your suit because…?’

‘I wanted to be up high.’

‘You…wanted to be up high?’ Tony mulled those words over for a moment. ‘You alright Pete? You sound inappropriately mellow for someone having a ‘night-off’.’

There was a twinge of something in Tony’s voice, but Peter couldn’t quite place it. All he could think about was how he hadn’t noticed how low and mopey his own voice had just sounded. _Shit_. He was really stoned. He needed to end this call as quickly as possible.

‘Yeah I’m all good Mr. Stark. All good here. But hey, listen, I’m getting pretty tired so I’m going to head home alright? I’ll catch up with you in the lab next week or something.’

‘Hey Pete, wait a minute!’

Peter hung up before the interrogation could start. He heaved out a sigh of relief and laid back, so he could look up at the sky before lighting up the joint again.

     Five minutes later and one joint down, Peter started to hear the all too familiar sound of jet propulsors getting progressively louder. He immediately sat up and removed his mask, just in time to see Iron Man flying towards his spot on the roof.

‘Hey Kid,’ Tony said after he had landed and stepped out of the suit. He approached Peter slowly, his eyes brimmed with concern and apprehension.

_Just act casual. Just act casual._

‘Hey man!’

_TOO CASUAL. TOO CASUAL._

Peter went to stand up but tony quickly and gently put a hand on his shoulder and kneeled beside him.

‘Are you hurt?’ Tony’s voice was solemn and cautious. Peter noticed him scanning him up and down with his eyes, checking for injuries.

‘No..?’ Peter was certain that he sounded like an idiot but if Peter was being honest, he was dumbfounded by the entire situation. Satisfied that Peter hadn’t sustained any life-threatening injuries, Tony breathed a heavy sigh of relief and sat more comfortably beside him, still refusing to take his eyes off Peter.

‘Let’s talk, Kid.’

‘About what?’ Peter had never felt more confused in his life. Was he in trouble? It didn’t feel like it. Could Tony smell the weed?

‘About what your doing on top of a skyscraper at four in the morning, and why you’ve been crying?’

‘Crying?’ Peter was really confused now.

‘It’s okay Pete,’ Tony’s voice was deliberately soft ‘No judgement here. It’s just your eyes are bloodshot.’

_Fuuuuuuuuck._

Peter didn’t know what to say. He tried to think of ANYTHING that could explain what he was doing that didn’t result in him confessing to using his abilities to get stoned in a cool location. However, his mind was blank, so he opted to keep looking at Tony to figure out what he was thinking instead.

‘I know it can sometimes seem hopeless,’ Tony started ‘especially when you’re young and everything feels like the end of the world. But you’ve got to stick around to see it get better Pete. I know I seem busy, but I’ll always make time to talk to you about anything you’re stressed about or sad about. Just…don’t do anything stupid tonight, okay?’

Peter had never seen that facial expression on Tony before. He looked utterly lost, out of his element and desperate. He looked like a new parent whose kid just got into the cupboard with the bleach under the sink.

‘I’m sorry Mr. Stark but I have NO idea what you’re talking about.’ Well, it was a response at least. It was the only response Peter’s hazy brain could conjure.

‘It’s Tony, kid. And Listen, if you were to hurt yourself or end your life there would be so many people who would miss you or who would be worse off. Even people who don’t know you personally. The little guy, remember? Who would be there to help them out?’

‘Mr. Stark…you think I’m trying to kill myself?’ There was nothing that could have prepared him for that realisation. He was struck by his own shock. On one hand, he was touched by his mentor’s attentiveness to him. His heart swelled a bit knowing that he meant something to THE Tony Stark. Perhaps even an ounce of what Tony meant to him. On the other hand, however, Peter was altogether too high for this situation and he knew he needed to put an end to it immediately.

       Tony had been watching him mull over his thoughts when he noticed the card roach that had been tossed on the floor beside them. Now that he thought about it, there had been a smoky, floral scent around them when he landed. He was putting two and two together, but Peter got there first:

‘Tony, my eyes are bloodshot because I’ve been smoking. I’m on this skyscraper because I wanted to look up at the sky while I did it. I’m out at 4am because…I don’t know I have free will, I guess? I’m sorry you were worried and came all this way, but I am totally okay. I swear, Mr. Stark, I feel just fine.’

Peter could have sworn the next three seconds played out in slow motion as he watched Tony’s facial expression transform from worry, to shock, to embarrassment and finally rest on rage.

_Oh man, here it comes._

‘Do you realise how fucking reckless that is Parker,’ Tony almost snarled, ‘What if someone saw you smoking in your suit? You’re supposed to be fighting crime, Peter, not participating! And what if you had fallen from this height? You’re suddenly so in touch with your powers that you can still use them properly while fucked up?’

Peter was pissed now. His first night off patrol in about a month had ended in a bust up with his mentor. It stung to have Tony be so angry and disappointed, but it hurt even more to find out he could be such a hypocrite.

‘It’s just a joint. You were doing worse at my age.’

‘I wasn’t a superhero when I was your age, Peter. I wasn’t in the spot light the way Spider-man is. The government is _itching_ for us to fuck up. You know that, right?’

‘With all due respect, Mr. Stark, I’m on the top of a freaking sky scraper. No one is going to see me,’ Peter kept his voice low and steady. Normally, whenever Tony and Peter fell out, it ended with Peter feeling small and naive and foolish. He wasn’t sure if it was the weed or some new-found self-confidence, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right, and Tony was wrong.

‘Peter this is serious. You’re going home right now and if I ever get wind that you’ve been smoking, in the suit or otherwise, there _will_ be consequences.’

‘You’ve got to leave me with _something_ Tony.’

Peters eyes were bearing into Tony. His voice carried a tone of desperation that Tony had never heard from him before. He noticed for the first time how completely exhausted Peter looked. Tony just wanted to do right by his kid.

‘Just…go home Peter.’

The silence was palpable while Peter considered what he was about to say.

‘I will,’ he eventually replied, ‘but when I’m ready.’

With that, Peter put his mask back on, laid back and asked Karen to play his music. A few seconds later he heard jet propulsors blare in his ear and gradually get quieter as Iron Man flew back to his tower.

                                                          ---

Fifty minutes later and Peter was home. He couldn’t shake the bitter feeling that had settled in his chest. Guilt seemed to climb and coil around his throat but deep down he knew that just because the superhero life had been sprung upon him, it didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to be a teenager. Once he had changed out of his suit and into his pyjamas, he was about to collapse into bed and try to shed the night as best he could when he heard a light tapping at his bedroom window.

_Jesus Christ!_

The paranoia had clearly set in as Peter practically jumped from his bed and stuck to his roof. Slowly, he made his way to the window and drew back the curtains to reveal Iron-Man hovering outside, holding a pizza box. He opened his window and noticed the suit was one of Tony’s older models. Knowing that his mentor wouldn’t be inside said suit, he took the pizza from it, nodded and watched it until it flew away and disappeared from sight. Peter closed the window, opened the pizza-box and read allowed the note that had been scrawled on the inside of the lid:

‘Thought you might be hungry! Let’s do some suit upgrades tomorrow night. Sorry kid.’

Peter dumped the box on his desk but not before he pulled out a big slice of pepperoni. He fell back on top of his bed shoved the pizza into his mouth and smiled contently at his bedroom roof.

_Yeah, we’re gonna be fine._


End file.
